Exercising apparatus.



No. 806,565. PATENTBD DEC. 5', 1905. 0.0.PEROY., I

EXER-GISING-APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOW 4, 1904.

V 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES: Z Y mlmvrarr W1 CZaziea ffrcg AITORIVEYS PATENTED- DEC- 5, 1905.

No. 806,565l

- 0. c. PERCY. v EXE'RUISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4. 1904-.

*2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR fiaz'ls's 612709 WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY8- UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed November 4, 1904. Serial No. 231,415.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. PERCY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have in vented new and Improved Features of Construction for an Exercising Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus employed for strengthening the muscular system of a person by exercising dilferentparts of the body therewith, and has for its object to provide novel detailsof construction for an apparatus of the character indicated which are simple, readily adjusted for engagement with the upper portionof the person using the same, and which are safe as well as effective for strengthening the muscles of the user of the apparatus.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the subjoined claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the suspended apparatus arranged for strengthen1ng the muscles of the neck, arms, and shoulders of the user. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the same as applied in Fig.

, 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear view of the details of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of a chin-band employed. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a grip-block. A

" a suspending means having novel features is furnished as a detail of the invention and constructed as follows: Three hooks 10 are secured in an overhead stationary support. As.

sh0wn,'the hooks 10- depend from the ceiling A of a room or the like and are evenly spaced apart. Two similar blocks 11 having a single pulley or sheave in each one are hung from the outermost hooks 10, and a double-sheaved pulley-block 11 is suspended from the inter-- mediate hook, as shown in Figs..1, 2, 3, and 7.

Two like ropes 12, which are thin, strong, and flexible, are respectively roven through the outermost pendent blocks 11, leaving portions thereof pendent, and from these blocks the remaining portions of the ropes 12 are extended toward and through the central block 11 in op posite directions, respectively engaging with upper edges of the twin sheaves a therein, as is clearly shown in Fig. 7. The end portions 12 of the ropes 12,which extend downward from the sheaves a in the block 11 pass loosely through a perforation in a grip-block 13, that may be formed of wood having ovate form and one portion be secured on the other below the gri pblock by a knot I), as shown in Figs. 3 and 7. The depending member 12, that extends-be- .low the grip-block 13, is afforded suflicient length for effective service, and upon it at intervals other grip-blocks 13 are adjustably held in a desired position by the formation of a changeable knot b or the like in the rope, one below each grip-block, as appears in Figs. 3 and 5. The portions of the ropes 12 that hangfrom the pulley-blocks 11 at their outer sides are secured at their extremities upon hanger-rings 14 of novel construction, one ring being afiixed upon a respective rope end by a knot Z2. Each of the similar hanger-rings 14 is-preferably bent from a wire rod into an arched form, and at a proper distance from the ends eyes 0 are'formed, the portions of the material that extend from the eyes each having a hook member 0Z, bent outward and upward at the same side of the arched body of the ring. The eyes 0 on each hanger-ring 14. receive a straight spacing-bar e, which is secured therein, and upon one end of the bar a hook e'is formed which projects upward adjacent to one hook member 0? and in a plane beyond the pad 15 at each end of thelatter and on each extremity is providedwith aband I extension 15*, that is therewith connected by v The band 15 extends IIO proper at its ends. The extension-pieces 15 are each ad ustable for length, having the ends thereof passed through the eyes g and then doubled together, the ends of the doubled portions engaging slidable buckles it, that by adjustment on the extension pieces serve to lengthen or shorten them, as may be desired. The free extremities of the extension-pieces 15 are respectively passed through the hangerrings 14 and then doubled, so as to return their ends toward the slidable buckles It, and on said ends hooks 72/ are affixed that may be engaged with a cross-bar on a respective buckle it, as is indicated at the right in Fig. 3.

It will be seen that if a patient wishes to strengthen the muscles of the neck and shoulders the band 15 may be placed beneath the chin and the person may apply draft strain upon the chin-band by pulling upon the pendent rope 12. It is, however, not advisable to attempt this application of the chin-band unless the body is sustained in amanner which imposes part of the pull on the rope 12 and pendent rope members 12 upon the shoulders beneath the same, as will now be explained.

Two brace-bands 16, each having a'ringi on the normally upper end, are detachably connected with respective hanger-rings 14 by an engagement of the ring 2' thereon with an appropriate hook e, as shown clearly in Fig. 3 at the left side thereof. The lower portions of the brace-bands 16 converge and are secured upon a triangular head-rest 16, which extends between said portions of the bands, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A strap 17 is aflixed by one end on each brace-band 16 and thence may be extended towarda buckle on the chin-band 15, these straps being preferably adjustable for length, as indicated for one strap at the right in Fig. 3.

A shoulder-band 18 of sufficient length to extend across the back of the patient, then under the arms and up at the front, is connected with the hanger-rings 14, preferably by the following-described means. The shoulder-band may be in the form of a rope having a pliable covering 18, which is less in length than the rope body and acts as a cushion for the band Where it has contact with the person of the patient. At the center of the covering 18 a strap 19 is secured which is buckled upon the converged lower ends of the brace-bands 16, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thus adjustably connecting the shoulder-band with the brace-bands. Upon the end portions of the rope body of the shoulder-band 18 a plurality of rings 20 are secured in pairs that are suitably spaced apart, and, as shown, each pair of rings is held changeably in place on the rope by a singly-tied knot l, and it will be obvious that by loosening the knot which holds any pair of rings at a certain point on the rope body 18 said knot may be slipped along either way on the rope member and then tightened, which will hold the rings at a selected point so as to lengthen or shorten the distance between said rings and the strap 19, as may be found desirable. There is a pair of rings 20 secured with a single knot Z at each end of the rope body of the shoulder-band 18, and these rings or other rings on the rope-end portions may be hooked upon the spaced hooks (Z on a respective hanger-ring 14:, as shown in Fig. 6. It will be seen that if corresponding pairs of rings on the end portions of the shoulder-band 18 are hooked upon respective hanger-rings 14: the Weight sustained by the shoulder-band and the chin-band may be accurately divided, so that the proper draft strain will be applied upon the latter when the pendent rope member 12 is pulled upon either by the patient or an attendant, the self-application of the exercising apparatus for strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles being shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 5 the manner of using the apparatus to strengthen the muscles of the arms and fingers is shown. In this application the hanger-rings 14 are engaged by one or more fingers of one hand at a time, and the pendent rope member 12 is pulled upon with the other hand, an appropriate grip block 13 being grasped and more or less draft force thereto applied.

From the description hereinbeforc given it will be apparent that the improved exercising apparatus is adapted for suspension from any stable object having suflicient heig'l'it and which will receive the hooks 10; furthermore, that the apparatus is well adapted for convenient and safe use to strengthen the muscles of the upper portion of the human body, and that the tension applied to the muscular system may be accurately graduated to suit the treatment appropriate for a patient, permitting the several details of the apparatus to be adjusted accurately for such a purpose.

Various minor changes may be made in details of the invention within its scope, and I claim all such as may fall within the intent of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pate-n t 1. An exercising apparatus embodying two spaced suspended single-sheave blocks, a double-sheave block hung between the single blocks, two ropes each rovcn through one single-sheave block and passing through the double-sheared block in opposite directions, leaving end portions of the ropes hang from all the blocks, and means for connecting a human body with the pendent ropes adapted for putting draft strain thereon.

2. An exercising apparatus embodying two spaced suspended single-sheave blocks, a double-sheave block hung between the single blocks, two ropes each roven through one single-sheave block and passing through the double-sheave block in opposite directions, leaving end portions of the ropes hang from all the blocks, means detacha'bly connected with the ropes pendentirom the single-sheave blocks and adapted for engagement with the chin and shoulders of a person, the remaining rope ends being pulled upon for causing draft strain on the chin and shoulders of said person.

3. In, an apparatus of the character described, the suspending-tackle, comprising two spaced and suspended single-sheave pulley-blocks, a double-sheaved pulley block hung between the other two blocks, two ropes each roven through a respective single-sheave block and passing through the double-sheave block in opposite directions engaging respective sheaves therein. end portions of the ropes hanging from each sheave, a hanger-ring pend ent from the end of each rope hanging from a single-sheave block, each ring having an upturned hook thereon, a chin-engaging harness having straps engaged with members of the I hanger-rings, and also having other straps that engage with the hooks on the rings.

4:. In an apparatus of the character de-' scribed, the suspending-tackle comprising two spaced and suspended single-sheave blocks, .a

'double-sheaved block hung between the other double-sheaved vblock hung between the other blocks, two ropes each roven through a single-sheave' block and passing through the double-sheaved block in opposite directions, end portions of said ropes depending from all the blocks, a hanger-ring on the end of each rope that hangs from a single-sheave block, said rings having upturned hooks thereon, and a suspend ing-harness coacting with the suspending-tackle,'comprising a chin-hand, a strap engaging at its ends with a hook on each end of. the chin-band, a pair of brace-bands converged at their lower ends, a head-supporting band secured transversely on the brace-bands, a shoulder-band secured at its center on the converged ends of the brace-hands, all of said bands hanging from other hooks on the hangerrings and coacting for putting draft strain on 'the engaged portions of a person when the depending ropes on the double-sheaved pulley are pulled upon.

6. In an exercising apparatus of the character described, the suspending-harness comprising a chin-band having adjusting-stra s on its ends adapted for connection with the pendent ropes of a supporting-tackle, divergent brace-bands, adjusting-straps extended from the brace-bands to the chinband,-a headband extended transversely between the bracebands rearward of the chin-band, a shoulderband connected near its center with the lower ends of the brace-bands, and rings at intervals changeably secured on the end portions of the shoulderband for engagement with rings on a supporting-rope tackle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES C. PERCY. Witnesses: I

F. T. PERoY, (11W. GAYLoRD. 

